Three-fourths God
by LanerMahaner
Summary: Never meant to be born, Lyssa is a demi-god living in a world she thought she knew. When her father is killed and she is forced to run for her life, she finds herself at Camp Half-Blood, a place her father had said didn't existed. Amidst the lies that have been her life and the aftermath of the Titan's War, there is prophecy that once again may end the world. And of course a boy.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

I entered the apartment angrily, throwing my coat on a hook, hanging my crossbow up beside it. I rolled my shoulder experimentally, wincing when pain shot down my spine. Rubbing my shoulder I walked into the bright kitchen. I stopped short when I saw my dad sitting at the counter. Swearing under my breath I approached the counter. I knew I was in deep trouble; I was three hours past curfew and my dad looked pissed beyond belief.

"Lyssa," my dad started, "Bad night?" he gestured to my bad shoulder.

"No. It was perfect thanks," I replied shortly, my words more clipped than I'd meant for them to sound.

"Lyss," Dad set down his coffee mug. I took a quick look around the kitchen. There were four empty mugs on the counter. It was clear that he'd been waiting up for a while, "What were you doing?"

"Surviving. Isn't that what you did?" I gazed steadily at him. This was the beginning of a, recently, very frequent argument. In Dad's day there had been relatively safe places for people like us, people like me. Demi-gods. Or more correctly termed, half-bloods or heroes. Nowadays, nowhere was safe. It was each person for themselves. The great Titan War was a myth now. It'd been years since any of the half-bloods had fought or even trained together. At least as far as I knew.

"I fought and killed when I _had_ too. I didn't go out _looking_ for trouble. Besides, since when do seventeen year-old boys fall under the 'dangerous' category?"

I shrugged, wincing in pain, '_Note to self: Shrugging is bad,'_ "First of all, I don't go _looking_ for trouble. I _hunt monsters_. And secondly, I never said he was dangerous, I said he was a pig. It's not my fault he broke his arm when he fell," I knew this wasn't necessarily true, but I'd fallen into an old pattern. And I hated when my dad actually tried to be a parent. He was better as a teacher at the public high school.

"The way I remember it is that you _flipped_ him over your hip and he broke his arm when he landed. Correct me if I'm wrong. Please."

I ground my teeth, "He groped me. His fault. He deserved it," '_And I got expelled,'_ I thought miserably.

Dad ran a hand down his face. He looked haggard, "Lyssa. Why can't you just get along at school? Try to fit in and make friends?" Dad had this hopeful look on his face he always got when he thought of a normal life for me.

"Dad," I stressed the word, "I TRY. Really, I do. But I see through the magic and the glamours. It's kind of hard to pay attention to math class when there's a harpy sitting across the room from me."

My dad sat up with a start, "There was a harpy at school?"

"Noooo," '_Right,'_ I kicked myself mentally, '_No mention of dangerous school things,'_ "I was being figurative Dad. No dangers at school. No monsters. It's all good."

Dad relaxed slightly, "Oh. Ok."

"You know, can we like… finish this conversation later? I'm REALLY tired, and I've got school tomorrow…" I made a dramatic show of yawning.

"I guess…" he didn't sound thrilled, but I got up and headed for bed anyway, "But Lyssa…?"

I turned around slowly, already dreading whatever was coming next, "Yea Dad?"

"Just… Be careful out there… You're not the only bad ass thing out there," He smiled thinly. I walked back over and hugged him, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

"You got it Dad," He smiled and I went upstairs to take a hot shower and get some much needed sleep. Tomorrow was the real danger, school, and the ultimate test. How long would it take for me to get kicked out of another private school.

I shrugged on my backpack, careful to avoid my sore shoulder. Getting thrown into a wall can really mess a girl up. I gulped down my breakfast in about three bites, waving a quick goodbye to my dad before running out the door.

Brennan Academy didn't have a bus system so it was up to the students to find their own ride to the _prestigious_ school. My ride of choice was my friend Stephanie's car. Although Steph never let me drive. She was weird like that. I was OBVIOUSLY the better driver, but hey, whatever floats her boat.

The ride to school was a quiet one, Stephanie was still half asleep. I felt that way too, and I'm sure I looked it as well, but I was on high alert, my muscles tensed for the slightest sniff of monster. If you knew about your blood then you were fair game; monsters would crawl out of the frikin' cracks to find you. If you didn't know… well you were a little better off. But it was really only a matter of time before they found you. And you better pray to the gods that you found out before they did.

Steph shook me out of thoughts when she parked the car in front of the massive school. I must say, as much as I hate Brennan Academy, it is pretty impressive. It had four stories, one for each grade. Freshman on the bottom floor, sophomores the second, juniors the third and seniors the top floor. The building itself is a work of art. I'd always compared it to an ancient Greek temple. It had massive columns, reaching from the ground floor up to the roof itself. It was dark grey in color, with white wood surrounding there surplus of windows. There was a basement I'm pretty sure but nothing was down there. Just storage. I think…

Stephanie and I walked up the steps to the school, parting ways at the second floor. I was a junior while Steph was senior. Our parents were friends, which was the only way we knew each other. Our school was strict about the whole 'in grade friends'. Some crap about class unity and strength or some shit like that. I thought it was all B.S. But hey, what could I do about it? Nothin', so instead I just sucked it up and tried to stay out of trouble.

Unfortunately trouble just seemed to find me. Miss 'I'm so much better than everyone else' Katy Verince stepped into my path as I headed towards my homeroom.

"Oh, Lyssa!" She cooed, her voice fake and sickly sweet, "They let you back in here? Wow. I'm surprised. Who'd you have to do THIS time?" She raised her voice, looking around the hall for the other students' responses.

"Oh you know, the same people YOU had to do to get INTO the school in the FIRST place," I smiled coldly, sidestepping around Katy and checking her with my hip.

She stumbled, falling into a boy passing by. She didn't look pleased. I was really tempted to stick around for a fight but I knew how bad my record was. If I got in another fight, or anymore bad grades, that'd be the end of it. I'd be expelled from my newest school. See school and I don't exactly get along… Like I've been kicked out of at _least_ twelve in all my school years. Not exactly the greatest record to have.

Fortunately the warning bell rang before anything could really get out of hand and I made a mad dash for my classroom, narrowly missing Katy's fumble for my hair. I sighed in relief as I slumped into my seat, front row. Mr. Parker, my math teacher walked in, glancing at our class over his round spectacles.

Katy sauntered in halfway through class, going straight up to Mr. Parker's desk, "Mr. Parker," She said in her high nasally voice that grated on my ears, "I need to borrow Lyssa Blake," She smiled sweetly at him, "Is that ok?"

'_No that is NOT ok!'_ I wanted to scream, but I shut my mouth, gritting my teeth. Mr. Parker nodded, giving me the two finger point and then gesturing for Katy and me to leave. Katy grinned, the expression not particularly reassuring.

I stood slowly, grabbing my bag and throwing it over my shoulder as I followed Katy out into the hall. Katy grinned again, grabbing my wrist as she pulled me along, "Katy! Stop. Where are we going? I'm really not in the mood to fight you."

Katy giggled, "Oh, you won't be fighting," I frowned trying to pull my wrist out of her grasp but her hold was like iron.

"Katy let go!" I yelled, yanking on my wrist again. She just laughed, opening the door to an empty classroom and pulling me inside.

Releasing my hand Katy stepped back, leaning against the teacher's desk, "You have been very tricky lately. Hard to follow," She seethed, all bubbliness gone from her voice. I gaped at her as her appearance shimmered. I suddenly realized what I'd been missing these past months. The mist. It was all around Katy and I was seeing through it now. Her skin lost all it color, her eyes changing from green to a bright red. And her legs? That was the weirdest. One looked like a donkey leg, and the other seemed to be made out of metal.

"Empousa," I whispered as my heart missed a few beats. How had I not seen this coming? Katy laughed as she advanced on me, "But I'm not a male! What do you want with me?" I cried.

"Why, to kill you of course! I don't need to feed on you to do that. I'm perfectly capable other ways," She grinned exposing her long fangs. I backed up, hitting the wall.

'_Great,'_ I thought, '_The one day I FORGET my weapons is the day I actually need them at school! Did I bring ANYTHING?'_ I frantically searched through my bag, looking for anything that could help me. Katy just laughed again, pushing desks out of her way. Finally my hand scrapped the bottom of my backpack, coming in contact with the dagger I'd thrown in there weeks ago.

I pulled the knife out triumphantly, taking a defensive stance. Katy paused for only a moment before she lunged at me. Hissing in pain when she impacted with my shoulder, I tried to kick her away. I slashed at her, my arm barely dodging her fangs. The dagger bit into her arm eliciting a pained hiss on Katy's part.

She glanced down at her shirt, "You ripped my shirt! That was Chanel you bitch!"

I shrugged, choosing that time to strike at her, stabbing her in the leg this time. Katy screamed, throwing herself at me again. I threw my arms up, wincing at the unwanted movement of my shoulder, covering my face as I tried to get a few swipes in. Just as my knife made contact with her stomach she rolled away. I stood, crouching low as Katy circled me. This time, when she lunged at me, I was ready. My dagger up, I stabbed her through the heart as she flew through the air. With an enraged howl she turned to the golden dust that signified the death of a monster.

Breathing heavily I leaned on a desk, clutching at my arm. There was a short gash from my wrist halfway up my arm. It stung like hell but thankfully wasn't very deep, and was no longer bleeding. Wincing I reached down, pulling a hoodie out of my bag. I ripped a strip off the bottom of my shirt, tying it around my cut before I donned the sweatshirt. I rolled my shoulder as I had last night, vowing to ice it when I got home. That and more effectively wrap my wrist. I gathered my things, shoving the knife back in the bottom of my bag before I exited the room.

The school halls were deserted as I walked back to math class. Our little skirmish had taken mere minutes and obviously attracted no attention. It was so nice to know that when my life was in danger my school was so willing to jump to my defense. I worried that someone would miss Katy and ask me where she was. I didn't have an answer for that one. Not that I felt bad, I was only worried about my own skin.

I stumbled back to class, ignoring the glare Mr. Parker sent me as I sunk into my seat. For the rest of the day I was distracted. I jumped at every sound, only able to answer questions after they'd been repeated a few times. Thankfully none of those questions involved Katy and her strange disappearance. As the school day went on I managed to avoid everyone, taking a public bus home instead of catching my normal ride from Stephanie. She didn't mind, it only opened up room in the car for her to take her boyfriend and some others home. Boys weren't allowed in the car when I was around.

I walked slowly into my house, my shoulder and arm aching. I dropped my bag on the floor, shrugging out of my sweatshirt as I hung that up with my jacket from last night, "Lyssa? Is that you?" I ran a hand down my face. Carly was here.

Carly walked into the hallway then, wiping her hands on a dish rag. Her hair was wavy, long, and this week she'd died it blue. Today she was wearing a fairly normal outfit, just jeans and a flowy white shirt. Carly leaned against the doorway, giving me a small smile. She and Dad had been dating for a year or so now. She was young, twenty something. We got along fine, she was somewhat like a big sister to me. Which was strange seeing as she was likely to become my new mother but that's just how it was.

"Hey Carls. Dad here?" She shook her head, her blue hair swinging behind her from its ponytail, "Ok, well I'll be upstairs if you need me."

Nodding, Carly's eyes narrowed as she took in my appearance, "Lyssa, wait. What happened to you? Your arm? And your shoulder?" She added when I shrugged and then winced in pain. Heaving a sigh Carly walked over to me, "Come here. I'll fix you up."

I smiled, "Thanks Carls," She did as she said, cleaning my cut, wrapping it and applying ice to my sore shoulder. She didn't ask the details, didn't want to know. Dad and I had sat her down, explained what we were and the things that went on with us. Carly had kept her cool, taking it all in. After we were done she'd just nodded, said, "Is that all?" and then proceeded to ask us what we wanted for dinner.

Dad was home late that night and I could see the tell-tale signs of a fight. His clothes were wrinkled, parts singed. There was a long cut in one pant leg, but no obvious wounds. Carly and I looked the other way. It was best not say anything. Dad was one of those independent types, he didn't like it when we commented on his… monster activities.

There were a lot of things not spoken about in our house. Monsters, training, any sort of demigod camps, and most importantly my mother.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

A week later marked the longest day of my life. I had to get up early. Stephanie had a meeting at school, so if I wanted a ride I needed to be ready. However I didn't even make it across the parking lot before the first monster of the day appeared.

A pit scorpion jumped, landing right in front of me, several feet from the front of my school. I froze, my hand moving towards my knife. The insect crawled towards me, its little black eyes all staring at me. Just as it reached my foot I brought my knife out, stabbing it in its abdomen. It exploded into gold dust at my feet.

That was the first of several monsters throughout my day. A Draken attacked me in third period, a telekine at lunch, and then two myrmekes during sixth. I'd never been attacked that often and I could tell my luck was running out. Things were changing and it sure as Hades didn't seem to be for the good.

And to top that all off, people were starting to ask questions about Katy. Questions I had no answers to. Thankfully as a granddaughter of Hecate I had a more than reliable control over the Mist. Which I used to my advantage to convince teachers and cops alike that Katy had been seen _after_ we'd talked in the hallway and that she had made it home safely. But I'm pretty sure it didn't work on all of them. From then on I'd have to lay low. Too bad the monsters didn't get that memo.

I tried calling Dad and Carly several times, Dad for reinforcements and Carly to get me out of school early, but neither of them picked up. Turns out they wouldn't have gotten there on time anyway. Before I even made it out of the school I was attacked by a flock of metal demonic birds. It took twenty or more minutes of hacking at them before the survivors finally flew off. Leaving me with shredded clothes, feather arrows sticking out of me, and no ride home. Stephanie had left several minutes beforehand.

By the time I wandered into the apartment I was wiped, wanting only to fall onto my bed for the rest of the evening, "Dad!" I called, "I'm home!" No answer. Confused I dumped my bag on the floor, grabbing my crossbow as I passed, "Dad?" Silence.

I tiptoed around the house, my senses on high alert. It didn't feel right. He was always home and if he wasn't then he called. The downstairs was clear. Every nook and cranny was clean. Steeling myself I headed up the stairs, careful to not step on the creaky step. Once upstairs I noticed that the door to my dad's room was ajar. Instead of going directly there I headed the other direction, into my room.

Looking around I dumped the entire contents of my closet into my duffel bag. I didn't own that much to begin with so there was still plenty of room in the oversized bag. I grabbed some weapons, stuff I'd acquired over the years. Knives, swords, throwing daggers, whips, anything sharp or dangerous, _'Oh hell. Where the hell are my bow and arrows?'_ I scanned the room unsuccessfully. They had to be there somewhere. I finally located my weapon of choice under my bed. Next was the horde of nonperishable food I kept in my room for emergencies. Stashing them in my bag I surveyed my room again. Nothing I needed. If something _was_ wrong I was packed and ready to leave at a moment's notice.

Deciding I was as prepared as I could possibly be, I headed back out into the hall. A sword now hung at my hips, another dagger at the small of my back. I held my crossbow out in front of me, an arrow notched and ready. Slowly I pushed open the door.

My dad's body was splayed across the floor, blood pouring out from a deep gash in stomach. His skin was white, eyes unfocused, staring up into space. Bile rose in my throat at the sight, and the smell. The room smelled strongly of death and monsters. All I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and sob. My dad was dead. But we were so careful! The house had as powerful wards as he could set up and he ALWAYS carried a weapon. Although, as evident by the gold dust covering the room, it had been quite a fight. I made my way over to him slowly, closing his eyelids, smoothing his hair away from his face. A sob choked its way out of my throat as tears clouded my vision. But I didn't have time to mourn. Another monster was in the house. I could feel it in my gut, a fuzzy, uncomfortable feeling that I always got when I was about to be attacked.

I spun around coming face to face with a hellhound, "Ah shit," I swore, ducking behind a dresser as fire soared past me, "Oh, so your one of _those_ dogs!"

The hound barked, it's foul breath coating the room. I gagged, covering my mouth and nose with the collar of my shirt. Realizing that I was in no condition to fight, what with my shoulder and arm, I had no choice but to get out of there. I could hear the hellhound's heavy footsteps as it tromped into the room, sniffing around. Counting to five, I readied myself, "One, two, three," I whispered, "Four, Five," With one last look at my dad's motionless body I ran. Out the door, down the hallway and into my bedroom. I grabbed my bag off the floor, pushing a bookshelf in front of the door. It wouldn't hold any monsters out for long, but it would give me a head start.

One last look at my home and I was gone, dropping to the ground silently. Landing on the balls of my feet behind the apartment building I thanked my dad again for the second story apartment. I waved goodbye to the building, loping out of the alley.

Glancing quickly around the deserted street I headed south, determined to put as much space between me and Seattle as possible. I'd head to Cali if I had to. I wasn't exactly looking forwards to that, but it was my best bet if I wanted to get away.

I ran and ran and ran, not stopping for anything. And when I could run no longer I fell to the ground, in the middle of the forest. Curling up in a ball I let my emotions out, crying until there were no tears left. I spent several nights like this, sleeping under the stars. My dad was dead and I had no one. No, that wasn't true. I guessed I had Carly, if I could ever get a hold of her. I'd stopped at a few pay phones before I was out of the city. Each time I called it went straight to voicemail. I was on my own.

My fifth day on the run I was beginning to get low on food. Worried I prayed to the gods for someone to guide me, '_Mom, if you can hear me… Please help. I'm lost, I'm running out of food and Dad's dead. I don't know what to do,'_ I plead as a last resort. No reply. Sighing heavily I meandered along, following a well-worn trail.

Just as I was about to pass out again I heard hooves behind me, and not the normal animal kind. My heart began to beat double time, flying into my mouth. I broke out in a sprint, running for my life. I was so tired of running. All the sudden I could hear voices ahead of me, and smell cooking food. Someone else was out here. Too tired to question whether they were friend or foe I pressed on, stumbling into an open encampment.

Several kids sat around, others fighting with swords, spears or knives. There were tents set up in a circle, surrounding a campfire with meat cooking over it. My mouth began to water just looking at the food. I was also shocked. Things like this shouldn't exist. It was obviously a demigod camp, but according to my dad there weren't any. This couldn't be happening. There was already too much shit that had gone on in the past couple weeks for me to handle demigods together on top of everything else. However I knew then that my mother had answered my prayer. She'd sent me help, or more likely she'd sent me _towards_ help. Either way she heard me and responded.

A tall boy stood, making his way over too me. He looked to be eighteen or so, his dark hair falling over his equally dark eyes. He was decked out in all black, from his shoes to his aviator jacket. His T-shirt sported a creepy looking skull, matching the silver ring on his right hand. His skin was pale but olive toned, and I could see his muscles move as he walked. Clearly he was made for fighting. As he approached me he had a weird look in his eye, like I was exactly what they were needed. What exactly that was I had no idea. He extended his hand, shaking mine slowly, "My name is Nico. Welcome to Outpost 13. We've been waiting for you."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Outpost 13. Dad had always said that half-bloods lived alone, fighting by themselves, only teaming up occasionally when the need really called for it. I'd figured that maybe a group of five or so had teamed up, for safety. But there must have been fifty or more kids lounging around the base. I soon lost track of who was who, I was just trying to fathom all of these half-bloods being in one place. Clearly my dad had been wrong. Or he'd lied. I wasn't sure which choice I liked less.

Nico showed me around the encampment. It was relatively small but that was the point. After the Titan War they'd made a bunch of outposts, putting the same spells of protection around them that the actual camp had. The outposts were used as a warning system. They were situated all around the world, collecting information on monster sightings. Their purpose was an early warning to attacks, so that if too many monsters or titans somehow got out an army could be raised to put down any rebellions. They didn't want another war to ensue.

Almost all the gods were represented, even the minor ones. However I noticed that they were all older, late high school, maybe college aged, and they _all_ knew who their godly parent was. I felt very out of place. Not only that but everyone was staring at me. Making me very self-conscious.

I let out a deep breath, surveying the crowd of half-bloods looking inquisitively at me, "Shoo," They all snapped out of their gawking trances, scrambling to get back to what they'd been doing. I ran my hand down my face, one of the many habits I'd managed to pick up from my dad.

Several days later I was still in Outpost 13. I'd separated myself from most of the heroes, creating my own little circle of tents. Only girls. Actually pretty much every girl in the camp was following me. And I'm sure the boys noticed. Although even from them I was emotionally distant. I'd just lost my dad, the only family I had. It was to be expected to say the least.

"Nico, it's her. I'm positive!" A girl's voice caught my attention as I was walking past the woods. Pausing I peeked around a tree. Nico was standing in a small grove with a little floating window in front of him. He was holding a spray bottle, shooting it at the window to create a rainbow. In the window I could see the head of a girl. She had red hair and bright green eyes that were sparkling with excitement. Her shirt, the top of which I could see, seemed a few sizes too big, but she looked very comfortable in it.

Nico sighed, "Rachel," Suddenly another kid popped into the picture. He had black hair and, like Rachel, had green eyes. But his were more ocean colored, a little bit more blue in them than the girl's, "Percy?"

The boy grinned, "Hey Death Breath," He said before his face became serious, "I hear you have new information…" He trailed off as Nico looked around. I quickly pressed my back to the tree, hiding from sight as my heart hammered in my chest.

The two boys began a whispered conversation, too low for me to hear. The only words I got were when Nico mentioned the 'horde' of girls that followed me around and my apparent lack of comfort around the male species.

Rachel was silent until the very end, her expression thoughtful, "It is her. This just proves it!" Percy glanced at the redhead before turning back to Nico.

"I want you back at camp. No arguing. Shut the outpost down. You have three days," Nico frowned but nodded. Percy looked over his shoulder, his expression clouding when someone on the other end called to him, "I have to go. I'll see you in three days," And with that the connection was terminated.

Nico ran a hand through his hair, kicking a tree in annoyance. I decided to take that time and make a hasty retreat. Three minutes later Nico made his way out of the woods, going to stand in the center of the camp, "Listen up everyone!" He called. The other campers stopped what they were doing and turned towards him, "We have new orders. Pack up. Everything's going. We're heading back to camp!"

A few cheers went up followed by everyone rushing around. They ran into tents, packing things as quickly as possible. I was amazed at how fast the camp was taken down, vaguely wondering if they'd done this before. All I had was my small bag which I pulled out of a tent I shared with three other girls right before it fell in. The girls smiled apologetically at me before returning to their tasks.

It took only a couple hours before we were ready for departure. We tromped out of the woods to the highway, hitchhiking our way to the airport. Once there Nico paid for our tickets, pulling wads of cash out of his coat. If the lady taking the money was surprised she didn't show it.

Six hours in the air, and two bus rides later we neared camp. Together we climbed the hill, pausing at the top to look down upon the encampment. From up there I could see everything. The camp was a huge valley, going all the way out to the ocean. Placed sporadically around were huge Greek style structures. From what I could tell these included a pavilion, amphitheatre, an arena, and at least fifty smaller buildings that looked like cabins. All of them were made out of shining white marble. All around I could see high school age kids. Some were dueling in sandpits or the arena while others were riding horses around. A few seemed to be playing normal sports, like volleyball, or just hanging out like you'd assume most normal teenagers would do. The one outstanding feature of the camp was the huge black fissure breaking up the pavilion. It looked like something had burned the stone around the gape, leaving a massive scar in the otherwise perfect ground.

Everyone's faces lit up at the sight, many of them running down into the center of camp. Friends ran out of cabins to greet other friends, the entire complex soon buzzing with talk. I hung back, hugging my arms to my chest. I didn't belong here. Death followed me around, and it was clear that this place had seen enough death in recent years. I stood alone on top of the hill, waiting by the tree. I didn't feel like I belonged here. To me, this place wasn't supposed to exist. It was supposed to be legend, not some place I just walked up to and made my home. Although I guessed I didn't have much of a home left anyway.

I meandered my way through camp, heading towards the large house in the middle. The girls had explained things on the way and I already knew that that was where I needed to be. I stood on the porch of the house, wondering what to do, when a man, probably early twenties, exited. He had black unkept hair, but it looked good on him. His green eyes reminded me of the ocean, deep and moving. He was several inches taller than me, and I was a fairly average height, but Nico and some of the other boys I'd met had a couple inches on him even. It was the man from the rainbow mirror.

He smiled kindly, offering me his hand, "My name is Percy Jackson. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood."

Nodding I shook his hand, looking around again. Just as I did, two girls exited the house, deep in conversation. When they saw me they stopped, equally large smiles taking up their faces. One was blond, tan and athletic looking. Her curly blond hair was up in a ponytail, falling over the side of her bright orange shirt that matched Percy's. I'd seen a lot of kids wearing them. It had taken me awhile but I'd finally figured out thatbthey read Camp Half-Blood. The blond kind of reminded me of some of the surfer girls I'd seen in Cali. Well, except for the eyes. They kind of messed with the image. Her eyes were startling grey and seemed to be measuring me. She went up to Percy, sliding her hand effortlessly into his. He smiled down at her before looking at the redhead.

It was the same girl I'd seen Nico talking to in the floating picture thing. Just like in the picture she was wearing an overlarge shirt but now I could see all of her. Her jeans looked like she'd spent several hours doodling on them and had random holes stabbed through them. Her eyes held the same kind of vacant expression as before but seemed focused on something far away. Percy nudged her, bring her back down to earth.

"Rachel Elizabeth Dare," She said before turning back around and heading into the house. I looked at Percy and the blond girl, both of whom shrugged.

"She's Apollo's Oracle of Delphi," Percy said, as if that explained anything.

Rolling her eyes the blond stuck out her hand, same as Percy had, "Annabeth Chase."

"Lyssa Blake," I answered, shaking her hand. Her grim was firm, her hand, like Percy's, slightly calloused from sword practice I presumed.

Annabeth smiled kindly, "Are you determined or undetermined?" I must have looked confused because she clarified, "Do you know who your godly parent is?"

I shook my head, "No. All I know is that my dad's a son of Hecate. I don't know who my mom is."

Percy looked me up and down, his eyes narrowing slightly, "How old are you?"

"Seventeen," I promptly replied. His eyes narrowed further, "How old are _you_?"

"Twenty-one. Same as Annabeth," Annabeth nodded. Percy opened his mouth to say something else but seemed to change his mind. Without another word he grabbed a hoodie off a chair and sped off. I stared after him until he was out of sight, only then turning to Annabeth.

She shrugged again at my unasked question, "He's off to Olympus," Was all she offered, "Come on, I'll show you around. And then we have a welcoming video, but I assume you already know most of what will be in it. We'll get you settled in Cabin Eleven for the time being."

We set off towards the pavilion, Annabeth pointing things out and filling me in on demigod history. The Titan War as my dad had called it had only been over for five years. Percy and she were sixteen when it ended. Lord Kronos had tried to rise again, using one of her friends, Luke Castellan, as his vessel. There were many battles, casualties on both sides, until the final battle on Mt. Olympus. There Luke showed his true colors by overcoming Kronos for a brief moment and sacrificing himself to kill the Titan King. Annabeth also informed me as to why Percy was off at Olympus. Apparently as his reward for saving the universe he turned down godhood and instead asked that all the children of the gods be claimed and led to camp by the time they turned thirteen. As I was seventeen it meant that someone broke the oath on the River Styx nearly immediately.

'_Figures my parent would be the one to do that,'_ I thought, remembering my dad and all his apparent lies. I felt that this all was somehow connected but I didn't know why. It was turning out that almost everything I knew or thought I knew was a lie. And I wasn't too pleased about this.

The only thing Annabeth wouldn't tell me was what Percy, Rachel and Nico had been talking about on the Iris Message. I learned what that was too. When I mentioned Percy and Rachel together Annabeth got a bit quiet and I figured there were some personal issues there that I didn't want to get in to. So I tried again to get her on the topic of what the heck they'd been talking about, but she was mute on the subject.

Percy returned later that night, after several bouts of thunder had been heard overhead. He looked highly disgruntled, barely giving me a glance before kissing Annabeth and heading into his cabin. Annabeth just shook her head. I was staying in Cabin Eleven, Hermes' cabin. Too many boys for my taste. I was the only undecided in there and I felt alone.

I got a bunk in the back of the room where I dumped my bag. It was well after dinner before I was actually able to get settled in. I immediately curled up under the covers, turning away from the rest of the campers. I was in no mood to be bothered by human contact. The fact that I was now an orphan was a hard pill to swallow. Even after more than a week I still couldn't accept it. Not that there had been much time to think about such depressing things while I was on the run, or at the outpost. But now that I was at camp I was finally able to wallow in self-pity and allow myself to really cry. Cry about everything, not just the letting my emotions out in tears because I was too tired to think.

I woke up groggy and annoyed. Yawning I sat up, grimacing as Connor Stoll's snore shook the cabin. Damn that boy was loud. I looked at the clock. It was eight in the morning. Much too early for me to even be THINKING about waking up. None the less I stood up, stretching. Deciding that I had nothing better to do I headed out towards the dining pavilion.

I wanted to be alone, and alone I was. I walked out past the pavilion, going instead to sit by my lonesome on the beach. I don't know how long I sat there starring at the ocean before I heard any sign of others being awake. What I did know was that it was long enough for me to realize that shutting myself off from others as I had been at the outpost and readying myself to do at camp wasn't the answer. My dad was dead. Fact. Carly wasn't answering her phone. Fact. But what wasn't yet the fact was that I didn't have a home. I could make camp my home. As it was, it seemed to already be a pretty good place to live. At least it was safe.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Not surprisingly the Aphrodite cabin was the last to straggle in to breakfast. They were all perfectly made up for the day, not one hair out of place. Everyone else had been waiting, their stomachs grumbling in demand.

I sat myself down at the Hermes table, ignoring the whispers around me. Just like at Outpost 13 I was the newbie and thus the most interesting thing apparently. I saw Annabeth sitting with her siblings at the Athena table, and Percy and Nico sitting alone at their respective tables. Every table was filled except two. Artemis and Zeus. Zeus because, as Annabeth had told me the other day, Thalia, only daughter of Zeus, had opted to join Artemis's hunters. Artemis's for the obvious reason that she abstained from male company, forever.

Even Hera had children. Twins, two little girls named April and Maya. Apparently she'd finally realized that since A) she'd never really wanted to be in the marriage she was in, and B) her husband and family all had affairs on a pretty regular basis, it wouldn't be unheard of for her to have one. And she did. But being Hera she had gone about it a little differently. She'd actually married her children's dad.

I frowned down at my breakfast of eggs, bacon and toast. At least April and Maya had a normal family. If you could call it that. One of the Hermes girls must have noticed my downcast expression because she chose that moment to introduce herself.

A tanned hand was shoved under my nose, "Hi! My name's Quinn Walden," A too cheery for morning voice announced. I looked up, following the arm of the hand to the person attached to it. She was pretty. She had short cropped brown hair, upturned eyebrows and blue eyes. Her skin had a slight tan to it, proving that she spent a lot of time outside. Probably at camp. And when she smiled it was a little mischievous and very sarcastic. I was pretty sure we were going to get along great. Minus the her obviously being a morning person thing.

"Lyssa Blake," I answered, shaking the offered hand while trying not to get any food on either of us.

Quinn smiled again, "I hear you're new in camp."

I tried not to laugh. Instead it came out as a snort, "You could say that."

"Sorry. I just wasn't quite sure what to say. I don't have the same gift of speech that my brothers seem to possess," She said gesturing at the Stoll brothers.

I laughed, "I don't know how much of a 'gift' your brothers have."

Quinn laughed as well, "Yeah, you're right. It's probably more of a curse," She grinned.

We, surprisingly, spent the rest of breakfast in silence. Most likely because our mouths were too filled with food for any talk. Afterwards I headed out towards the woods, unknowingly being followed by my 'horde' of girls, now including Quinn.

When I reached my destination, really just a small clearing, I noticed my followers. I blushed, "Um… hi?" The girls sort of twittered amidst themselves, eventually pushing Quinn forward.

Quinn sighed, rolling her eyes, "The girls here," She gestured behind her, "Would like me to ask you something."

I nodded, "Uh… Ok?"

Sucking in a deep breath Quinn gave me an annoyed look, "Are you the girl from the prophecy?"

"What? I have no clue what you're talking about. What prophecy?"

The girls all exchanged a look, one of them, a daughter of Dionysius I think, spoke up, "_The_ prophecy. The last really big prophecy before the Titan War. You must know _something!_" She pressed.

I shook my head mutely. I had no idea what they were talking about, "I'm sorry. You must have me confused. I don't know what you're talking about at all."

Quinn and the girls looked disappointed, "Oh. You're sure?" I nodded. I really had no clue what prophecy they were talking about, "Hmm. Well that sucks," The others nodded in annoyed agreement.

"Um… Could someone maybe fill me in? So that I might actually have an idea of what the HADES you're talking about?"

A daughter of Aphrodite heaved a large sigh, "THE prophecy," She said, "It said a three-fourths half-blood would save the world. Again."

Everyone, including me, frowned, "Again?" We chorused.

The girl sniffed, "Do none of you know anything about our history?" The rest of us exchanged a look before shaking our heads. Not many of us actually knew much. It was hard to really know much. Sure we all knew the old myths, but the recent history? Not so much, "Well there was this rumor that a few decades back that there was almost a war. But some chick, whose parent was a demi-god and a god, apparently stopped some HUGE fight."

I was stunned. How did we NOT know this? This was big news, this was HUGE! An entire war, well almost war, that no one knew about. And technically what this meant was that somebody didn't want us to know.

As this information sank in I noticed Nico hanging around the fringes of the group. A few of the girls seemed to notice this as I did because they turned to glare at him. He had the decency to look at least a little guilty for invading our privacy.

"Hey," All the girls turned towards him then, finally noticing Nico, "Everyone back at camp is looking for y'all. We have some visitors coming."

The girls began twittering again, chatting together as they headed towards camp. Nico hung back, watching me out of the corner of his eye. I sighed, "What? You want something. I can tell."

The dark boy grinned, shoving his hands deep into his pockets as he sauntered towards me, "Annabeth told me you were snooping," I scoffed, "About the me, Percy and Rachel's secret conversation," I opened my mouth to respond, "In the woods. Care to tell me about that?"

I opened my mouth to respond, several times, but no words came out. Finally I just shrugged, "It was about me. I figure I have a right to know."

Nico nodded, "Be that as it may, be careful," He turned away before I could say a word. Right before he walked out of sight he turned back, calling over his shoulder, "Secrets around here tend to get the curious into trouble."

When Nico disappeared out of sight I broke out of my stupor. Running through the woods I made my way back to camp. I entered just as horns blew through the grounds. A cool breeze greeted me, caressing my face. I could hear the sounds of hounds off in the distant, chasing their prey.

A group of girls in matching outfits walked into camp. Their ages ranged from twelve to about eighteen. Standing in the center of the pavilion they regarded the campers, it seemed the boys in particular, with disdain. However when Percy walked out of the Big House one girl did run forward to hug him.

Shoulder length, spiky, black hair and blue eyes, the girl threw her arms around Percy, yelling, "Percy!" Percy grinned, picking the smaller girl up and spinning her around. Like the other girls she wore dark skinny jeans and a silver puffed jacket. A white shirt could be seen underneath. The only different thing about her, marking her punkish look, was the long chain hanging down her thigh.

Annabeth stepped forward, giving the younger girl a hug as well, "Thalia! It's so good to see you!" The punk girl, Thalia, grinned, moving from Percy to hug Annabeth.

"Good to see you too, Seaweed Brain, Owl Girl. What's been happening since I left?" Thalia glanced around camp, taking in the setting, "Camp looks about the same."

Percy nodded, "Yeah, nothing much is new around here. Got some new campers but that's normal too," He gave Thalia another one armed hug, "And Thal, camp's been the same for hundreds of years."

Thalia grinned, "So normal cabin, Perc?" Percy nodded, and Thalia turned towards the other girls, "Hunters, unpack. I want us settled-in in half an hour."

It was then that I noticed Nico by my side, hovering a bit, "Death Breath, why are you so close to me?"

Nico glanced at me in surprise, "What?" I repeated my question, "Oh, sorry. Didn't really notice," Then he took an exaggerated step to the side, "Happy now?"

I nodded with a smile, "Yup. Thanks."

"And Death Breath? Where'd you get that one?"

I flushed, "I heard Percy call you it."

Percy suddenly clapped his hands, "Hey! Campers! Capture the flag in an hour! Be ready! Hunters against campers! Everybody got that?" There was a resounding yell of yes, "Ok, well go at it then!"

The campers scattered, running towards bunks, towards the weaponry. I watched as they all ran, picking up weapons as they went. I turned towards Annabeth, "What am I doing?"

The blond shrugged, "Do whatever you want. You can play or you can watch. It's fun though."

I nodded. Capture the flag huh? I could do that, "Where would I find a bow and arrow? Or a crossbow even."

"Armory. Whatever weapons we have will be found in there."

"Thanks Annabeth," I said as I too ran off. I pushed my way through the crowds, testing the balance of bow after boy. They were all too light. Finally, in the very back of the building, in a pile under miscellaneous other weapons, I found the perfect bow.

Grinning to myself I pushed my way out of the armory, running face first into tall, brown haired, scary looking girl. I backed up slowly. She looked to be about Percy and Annabeth's age, sort of mean looking with scars, but I could tell that she was probably a good person as well.

"I… I'm sorry…" I muttered.

The girl grinned, the expression none to assuring, "Name's Clarisse La Rue. I hear you're the new fish in this big ol' pond."

I nodded, "Yeah… I guess so."

We both turned as new noises were heard out in the pavilion. Without a word we ran towards the sounds. A fight had broken out in the pavilion. Five boys and three hunters, a full out brawl.

Clarisse grinned, "Now this is more like it."

"What the hell is happening?" I demanded to no one in particular. Once again Nico was suddenly at my side.

The dark boy chuckled to himself, "Some stupid boy hit on one of the Hunters. He didn't really get the message when she said no. So… a fight broke out. It's kind of normal when the Hunters are here. Nothing's ever simple when the girls are here."

I sighed. Boys and their stupidity. However the fight was getting serious and I would not stand for any more people get seriously hurt today. I drew an arrow, cocking the bow. Taking aim I shot directly in the middle of the fray. The arrow flew true, directly into the middle of the fight without harming anyone.

The boys immediately jumped apart, looking around the pavilion. The Hunters were more calm, fixing their clothes and hair while glaring at the boys.

"Hey!" I called, earning the attention of everyone out there, "What in the gods' names is wrong with you? Have you no decency? Are you warriors or vagabonds?"

The crowd was murmuring to themselves, I could hear some of them saying I was crazy. The boys were just about to argue with me when suddenly the crowd became quiet. The entire pavilion was silent.

"Lyssa… Look up," I did as I was told. Floating above my head was a transparent, silver, glowing bow and arrow. My breathing stopped.

"What… what is it?"

Clarisse's eyes, as well as everyone else's, were trained on the phantom shape above me, "You've been claimed."

"Claimed?"

Just at that moment Thalia and the rest of the Hunters entered the clearing, standing beside Percy and Annabeth. Thalia stopped dead in her tracks, glaring at the shape as she lost her color, all of the Hunters paling.

"Who claimed me?" I whispered.

The silence was deadly, broken only when Thalia chose to answer my query, "Lady Artemis."

"Ah, damn."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

As suddenly as I had spoken thunder rolled through the skies, the sound shaking the earth. I reiterated my sentiment, this time much louder and with some others echoing my sentiment, Nico nodding his head with me in agreement as the entire camp looked towards the heavens.

There was a clap of thunder, a strike of lightning and suddenly I was no longer standing in the pavilion with the campers. All around me was flawless marble, columns that reached high into the clouds and most importantly the biggest thrones that I had ever laid eyes on.

And on these thrones sat the twelve Olympians. I had no doubt that's who they were. I mean, who else would be that large, that frightening, and radiate that much power? Zeus and his wife Hera sat in the middle, their gazes burning into my skull. Zeus wore a black pin striped suit, his beard and hair a salt and pepper color, his stormy blue eyes piercing my soul as he drummed his fingers on the arm of his platinum throne. Hera crossed and uncrossed her legs as she regarded me, arms crossed over her long silver braid and peacock colored dress, her throne of simple ivory.

On Zeus's other side sat Poseidon, his sea green eyes regarding me curiously from his tanned skin. He, like some of the other gods, looked neither angry nor happy to see me. He wore a Hawaiian shirt, khaki shorts and sandals, matching his throne; a deep sea fisherman's chair, a bronze trident in a holster. To his right sat Ares, in a leather and chrome throne, with human skulls in the arms. He was a frightening man, dressed in a leather jacket, muscle shirt, bulletproof vest, black jeans, combat boots and padlock necklace. He wore red sunglasses to cover his eyes, but I could feel his hollow stare.

My uncle Apollo sat next to Ares, with golden skin, sandy hair, and black shades covering his eyes. He had his iPod in his ears, happily rocking along to his music as he smiled at me. Besides his uncle Poseidon, Apollo probably was wearing the most casual clothing out of all the gods, a T-shirt, jeans and flip flops, looking somewhat out of place against his bright gold throne. To Apollo's right sat Hephaestus with wild bronze hair, a misshapen head and a steel brace on his leg. His throne was a mechanical La-Z-Boy with bronze and silver gears. It looked dangerous and I had no intention of ever touching it, or coming close. Hermes sat next to Hephaestus, wearing a business suit as he seemed to text on his phone, sitting in a simple office chair.

On the women's side of the room, next to Hera, sat Demeter. With long wavy black hair braided with dried grass, and large green eyes, she wore a golden dress as she sat on a throne made of apple tree branches, dried grass and wheat stalks. To her left sat Athena, on a throne of silver with golden basket work on the back, she had long black hair and intense grey eyes, both features that stood out against her white dress.

Next came Artemis, and I sucked in a breath at the sight of my mother. Though I knew that she normally chose a much younger form, she, like her brother Apollo, seemed to choose to become at least a few years older than me for the sake of my mental trauma. She had wavy auburn hair, similar to the brown color in my hair, and silver blue eyes that matched my own. She, similar to her Hunters, wore dark jeans, a white shirt, and a silver jacket with fur on the hood. Her throne was pure silver, very similar to the color of our eyes, with two date palms on the back and full moons above. The seat seemed to be made of wolf skin.

Then there was Aphrodite. Leisurely leaning back on a pink throne covered in roses and doves, Aphrodite looked like something out of romance novel. I could never decide what she looked like, but I was fairly certain she was wearing skinny jeans and a flowy blue shirt. And finally, next to her was Dionysus. He had a chubby face, black hair and bloodshot eyes. He was unfortunately wearing a tiger-striped shirt, yellow pants and purple running shoes. His throne, originally belonging to Hestia, was made of wood and gold-plated.

Most of the gods were glaring at me, with the exception of Apollo, my mother and Aphrodite, who was grinning widely at me for no apparent reason. I jumped in surprise when Nico, Percy, Annebeth, Clarisse, Rachel and the rest of camp appeared. Percy was glaring angrily at Zeus and my mother while the rest of the campers seemed to look around in interest. Some of the younger children, Hera's two girls Maya and April included, ran towards their godly parents, throwing themselves into their arms. It was an interesting sight to see Ares hugging a small child, but not necessarily one I'd like to see again. Somehow it made him look creepier.

"Alyssa Michaela Blake," Zeus' voice boomed through the hall causing silence to fall across us all. The small children came scrambling back, grabbing onto the clothes of their older siblings, Maya and April holding onto Rachel's hands, "You were never to be born."

I quirked an eyebrow at the Lord of the Sky, "And that's my fault? Talk to your daughter, she broke her promise, not me. I can't be blamed for being born any more than you can blame Percy, Nico or Thalia."

The gods looked taken aback for a moment before Apollo cracked up, "I like this girl!" Artemis sent a sharp look to her twin who just shrugged, "What? She's _your_ kid. You should be happy I'm not blasting her to bits," My mother sent him another glare which he somewhat ignored. Unfortunately there was only so long that he could actually ignore his sister for, "What?" He practically yelled, "You remember that Orion guy? And Actaeon? And all those other men? You swore off them! And most of them deserved to be killed," Apollo petulantly crossed his arms over his chest while some of the male campers grumbled in annoyance.

I just continued to stare at the gods, clearing my throat to get their attention, "Sooo… Is there a particular _reason_ we're all here?"

Apollo grinned openly while Artemis covered her smile with her hand. Percy came to my side, Nico not far behind him, as Zeus glared even more menacingly at me for my 'impertinence'.

"The _reason_," Zeus spat the word, "Is to determine what we're going to do with you. Whether your life is sparred or not."

I scoffed, "Sparred? What for? I've done no wrong."

Zeus ground his teeth, calming slightly when Hera placed a manicured hand on his forearm. It was then that my mother, Artemis, arose from her throne, walking gracefully towards me. Nico took hesitant steps backwards, most of the boys did. Percy however stood his ground, bowing slightly at the waist when my mother was mere feet from us.

"Mother," I murmured, bowing slightly. It was my right as her daughter to address her without kneeling at her feet.

Artemis inclined her head, "Alyssa, my dear. I trust Carly has been good to you?"

I frowned, "A follower of yours, I presume?"

Mother laughed, "You could say that. She once owed me a favor. That debt has now been repaid. And how is your father?"

"He's dead."

Artemis spun around, her brilliant eyes flashing towards where Hades seat would be on the solstice. As her uncle wasn't there she turned towards her father, "Bring him here now!" Zeus, never one to deny his daughter nodded solemnly.

Nico fell to the ground the moment the robes of his father touched the floor. Before us Hades stood in all his dark glory, his black robes twisting with the faces of lost souls. A deep scowl was set on his face as he observed the throne room in general. His gaze only softened slightly when it fell on his only son.

Artemis stalked forward, standing toe to toe with her uncle, "You took my _husband_ to the _Underworld_?" She shrieked, glaring up at her uncle from her short height, "We had a deal! He was not to be taken! Not until our daughter was fully grown!" She pointed towards me, "Does she _look_ fully grown? She's younger than your own son!"

There was a general tittering among the gods as Nico rose, coming back to stand with me and Percy, Annebeth joining us. Apollo frowned as he took in his sisters words. Both Apollo and I seemed to realized what she'd said at the same time.

"HUSBAND?" Artemis sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose like I did when angry. It made me smile some to know that we shared the same mannerisms. Although that didn't detract from the fact that she still had referred to my dead father as her husband.

Mother turned to give an imploring look at her stepmother, Hera. Hera seemed to shrug causing Artemis to turn back towards me and her brother, "Yes, husband. I made a vow of chastity and if I were to break it I would not do so on a whim or moment of passion," She spat the word passion as if it were a disease.

Apollo and I opened our mouths to respond but Zeus quieted us, "Silence! Now is not the time. It must be determined what is to be done with the child!"

Percy stepped forward, glancing only once towards his father before scowling at the High Lord, "Zeus, you once sparred my life despite the prophecy. Why is Alyssa's life any different? There isn't a prophecy about her. What is her living to you?"

The gods shifted uncomfortably and I frowned, "That's not exactly true Percy," The older boy turned towards me, "There is a prophecy about me. Supposedly. Some of the girls brought it to my attention, because apparently none of you gods could be bothered to inform us."

Percy's frown deepened, "_What_ prophecy?"


End file.
